Expanded undergrounding improves safety, prevents outages and controls costs
JACKSON, Mich., Nov. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers Energy plans to convert another 67 miles of overhead lines in outage prone areas to underground in 2027, building on more than 11 miles completed so far in 2026 and 10 miles in 2024. The work is part of a scaled-up reliability strategy to ensure fewer customers lose power during storms – and those who do spend less time without it.
"Putting power lines underground takes them out of the path of trees, wind and ice – the leading causes of outages for our customers," said Greg Salisbury, senior vice president of electric distribution for Consumers Energy. "That means no downed wires, fewer and shorter outages, and lower storm and tree-trimming costs over time – at about the same cost as rebuilding a line overhead."
Consumers Energy's future focus targets the power lines that cause the most outages. That's because 91% of the times customers lose power are linked to just 25% of the miles of power lines in the system. Today, about 16% of the company's primary power lines are underground. Putting more lines underground offers these benefits for customers:
- Safety: Fewer overhead lines mean fewer downed wires, helping protect customers, crews and first responders during severe weather.
- Fewer outages: Research shows undergrounding improves circuit performance by 90% or more; Consumers Energy has seen 98-99% success on converted lines.
- Reliability: Undergrounding hard-to-reach lines, like the island service at Gull Lake, frees crews to restore other customers faster.
- Customer costs: Undergrounding costs about the same as repairing overhead lines and reduces tree trimming and storm repair costs.
A 2024 pilot proved Consumers Energy could underground lines for approximately $400,000 a mile. The company plans to ramp up to 400 miles a year by 2028, pending regulatory approval, with projected investments of $160 million in 2028 and 2029.
"Our pilot work proved we can do this efficiently, and the results speak for themselves," Salisbury said. "As we scale up to 400 miles a year, we're focusing on the lines that cause our customers the most outages – so more families and businesses keep their lights on when severe weather hits."
Consumers Energy is Michigan's largest energy provider, providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.8 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. We are committed to delivering reliable and affordable energy to our customers 24/7.
Learn the facts on Consumers Energy's commitment to reliable, affordable energy at ConsumersEnergy.com.
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SOURCE Consumers Energy